Washing machine support structure



Filed Dec. 29, 1965 March 19, 1968 w LM ET AL 3,373,962

WASHING MACHINE SUPPORT STRUCTURE 3 Sheets-Sheet l WILL/AM M. BLA/KLOCK DONALD 'L. ALLEN March 19, 1968 w. M. BLAIKLOCK ET AL 3,373,962

WASHING MACHINE SUPPORT STRUCTURE WILL/AM MBLA/KLOCK DONALD L. ALLEN T'forney March 19, 1968 w. M. BLAIKLQCK ET AL 3,373,962

WASHING MACHINE SUPPORT STRUCTURE 3 Sheets-Sheet .3

Filed Dec. 29, 1965 RM w Wa TMNJ NMMJ E M A vMfiM M Q ./AD m W w O 00 2 M m m United States Patent Ofiice 3,373,962 Patented Mar. 19, 1968 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The upright tub of a washing machine is supported upon the base by flexible rods; the lower ends of the rods are rigidly secured in the base and the upper end of each rod is encased in rubber-like material which attaches the rod to the tub.

This invention relates to a washing machine support structure.

In washing machines with upright tubs wherein there is a centrifuging operation to remove a substantial amount of water from the clothes it is important to prevent excessive vibration of the machine during this centrifuging operation which requires rotation of a centrifuge assembly at a relatively high speed, the weight distribution of which is variable because the clothes load shifts in the tub.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a washing machine support structure which will isolate and absorb the out of balance forces.

It is another object of the invention to provide a washing machine support structure which will allow limited movement of the tub in a substantially horizontal direction but with resulting reduction of the vibration forces transmitted to a floor support.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a washing machine support structure which will reduce the vibration transmitted to a floor support to such an extent as to dispose with the requirement of bolting the support to the floor.

Summary of the invention The invention contemplates supporting the upright tub of a washing machine above a base member by means of a plurality of flexible rods attached to the tub and to the base member with the corresponding one end of the rods rigidly secured and the corresponding other end of the rods located in resilient means. i

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the upright tub of the washing machine is supported by means of a plurality of flexible rods, the lower ends of which are rigidly secured to a base with the upper ends of the rods located in resilient means which are attached to the tub.

The invention will now be described in relation to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view, with the cabinet broken away of a washing machine support structure acco ding to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic side elevational view of the same;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view taken on the lines 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the lines 4-4 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged perspective fragmentary view of one of the opposed damping devices;

In the drawings only those parts of the washing machine are shown which are necessary to illustrate the invention and like numerals represent like parts.

With particular reference to FIGURE 1 there is shown a tub supported by a frame, generally denoted by the numeral 12, which, in turn, is supported by a base assembly, generally denoted by the numeral 14.

The tub 10 is provided with four equally spaced plates 16, the upper and lower ends of which are welded to the sides and underneath respectively of the outside of the tub 10. Each plate 16 is shaped as shown to provide a substantially horizontal abutment 18.

The frame 12 includes two inverted opposed channel members 20, the side walls 22 and 24 of the base 26 being provided with flanges 28 and 30 for the purpose of added strength. The respective mid portions 32 of the channel members 20 are connected by a horizontally disposed platform 34. An electric motor 36 is supported on the platform 34, the latter also serving the purpose of supporting a transmission drive housing 38 which is connected to the motor 36 by a belt 40. The drive of the housing 38 is connected to an agitator 42 and the housing 38 is connected to a rotatable basket 44 located in the tub 10. The agitator 42, the basket 44 and the tub 10 with the housing 38 below thus forms a unitary structure. Extending upwardly and divergently from the ends of the mid portions 32 of the channel members 20 are portions 46 each of which merges into a substantially horizontally disposed portion 48 extending in a direction towards the opposed channel member 20, the portion 48 being spaced somewhat outwardly from the tub 10. The base 26 of each horizontal portion 48 lies in the same circle as the horizontal abutment 18 of the plate 16 secured to the tub 10.

As illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2 the base assembly 14 includes a base plate 50 which has an outer upturned edge 52 and an inner upturned edge 54 which forms a channel 56. The inner upturned edge 54 is curved at the corners to provide an enlarged portion of the channel 56 through the base of which is threaded a screw 58, the head of which rests on the ground to form an adjustable foot secured in selected position by a lock nut 60. The base plate 50 inward of the channel 56 has a substantially horizontally disposed portion 62 adjacent each of the screws 58. For the purpose of providing added strength, from each of the portions 62, a rib 64 extends inwards to terminate in a domed central portion 66. As illustrated in FIGURE 4 each horizontal portion 62 of the base plate 50 is provided with an aperture defined by an upturned circular flange 68. A cap is positioned centrally over each upturned flange 68, each cap 70 having a horizontally disposed flange 72 which is welded onto the plate 50. The top wall 74 of the cap 70 is provided with a centrally disposed aperture defined by a downturned circular flange 76.

A vertically disposed cylindrical member 78 traverses the cap 70, the surface of the member 78 hearing against the upturned flange 68 and the downturned flange 76. The lower end of the member 78 is provided with a reduced threaded portion 80 which carries a nut 82 bearing against a lock washer arrangement 84 which is dimensioned to bear, in turn, against the undersurface on the base plate 50. Seated on the cap 70 and as illustrated in FIGURE 5 is a spacer washer 86 against which bears a horizontal flange 88 which is an integral part of the cylindrical member 78.

The lower end of a vertically disposed rod 90 is centrally positioned in each of the members 78 being rigidly secured thereto by well known means such as press fit. The rod 90 is flexible and is preferably constructed of spring like material such as high carbon steel but other materials such as fiberglass may be used. The upper end of the rod 90 is surrounded by a bushing 92 having an integral top flange 94. The bushing 92 is secured to the rod 90 by well known means, such as brazing.

Surrounding the bushing 92 and the top flange 94 is a bushing 96 which is made of resilient material such as rubber. For ease of assembly the resilient bushing 96 is made in two halves which are split diagonally; the inner mating surfaces of the two halves are shaped to accommodate the bushing 92 and its top flange 94, as illustrated in FIGURE 4 thus forming a cube of a resilient material around the bushing 92 and the top flange 94. The ends of the assembled halves of the resilient bush 96 normal to the section line 4-4 of FIGURE 3 bear against the opposed faces of a channel section 98 which has a central aperture in its base large enough for it to pass over the top flange 94 of the bushing 96. The width of the channel section 98 is slightly less than the width normal to the opposed faces of the assembled bush 96 but the latter, in turn, is dimensioned so as to have a width corresponding to the distance between the opposed side walls 22 and 24 of the channel members 20. The channel section 98 is provided with flanges 100 which carry screws 102.

The base assembly 14, though including rods 90 which are flexible, has proved to be extremely sturdy; it is easily and quickly assembled. The first step being to locate a cap 70 over each upturned flange 68 and then weld. The cylindrical member 78, having the rod 90 rigidly secured there to, is in turn rigidly secured through a cap 70 to the base plate 50 by tightening the nut 82. The channel section 98 is then slipped over the top flange '94 and the halves of each bushing 96 are then positioned in each channel section 9 8. The frame 12 carrying the motor 36 and the drive housing 38 is then lowered over the base assembly 14 and each bushing 96 is then located in a respective portion 48 of the frame 1'2, with the 'sides of the bushing 96 bearing against the side walls 22 and 24 of the portions 48. The tub is then lowered onto the frame 12 with the horizontal abutment 18 of the plate 16 resting on the portions 48 of the frame '12. The screws 102 carried in the flanges 100 of the channel section 98 are then threaded through the adjacent portion 48 and the overlying abutment 18, the position of the screws 102 being such that the sides of the rod 90' do not touch the sides of the central aperture in the channel section 98.

As a result of this assembly the drive housing 38, the motor 36 and the tub 10 are all suspended with the result that there is a comparatively large suspended mass thus taking advantage of inertia damping to keep the vibration amplitude to a minimum during rotation of the basket 44 in the centrifuging operation. However, to counterbalance the weight of the motor 36 which is offset in relation to the vertical axis of the tub 10 two weights 104 spaced apart are secured to the upper portion of the side wall of the tub 10 opposed with respect to the motor 36 as is well understood in the art. These weights 104 also raise the horizontal centre of gravity of the suspended mass close to the point at which the unbalance load in the basket 44 is located.

While the above arrangement provides a most effective means of isolating from the base the vibrations which occur during the centrifuging operation it is desirable in a washing machine having an upright tub wherein there is a centrifuging operation to provide means which dampen out vibrations as the basket 44 accelerates through the critical speed as much as possible. In the assembly already described and as illustrated more clearly in FIGURE 5 this is preferably arranged by providing diametrically opposed dam'per platforms 106 each of which are secured to a respective one of the diametrically opposed pair of caps by a plate washer 108 connected to the damper platform 106 by an integral arm 110. Bearing on each damper platform 106 is a disk 112 formed of damping material, such as asbestos having a centrally disposed integral boss 114 on its upper surface. A half circular integral abutment 116 is disposed outwardly of the boss 114 to provide an aperture in which is disposed the bight of a bifurcated spring 118 which bears the disk 112 against the damper platform 106. One of the free ends of the bifurcated spring 118 passes through the cross platform 34 and is turned downwards as at 120 to provide frictional engagement with the cross platform surface; the other end of the bifurcated spring 118 is secured by a nut and bolt 122 to the underside of the mid portion 32 of the adjacent channel member 20.

While certain embodiments have been illustrated and described for the purpose of disclosure, it will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but contemplates such modifications and other embodiments as may be utilized without departing from the invention.

We claim:

1. In a washing machine a combination of a base member, an upright tub member above the base member and a plurality of flexible rods between said tub and base members, the corresponding ends of said rods being rigidly secured to one of said members, means at the other end of each rod for attaching the rods to the other of said members, said means comprising an inner member formed of a bushing of rubber like material on said other end of each of said rods and outer rigid means bearing on said bushing, said outer rigid means attaching said rods to said other of said members through said bushings.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,022,285 1l/1935 Hayward 24820 2,809,005 10/1957 Goode 248-358 2,948,401 8/1960 Omermajer 210-365 JOHN PETO, Primary Examiner.

ROY D. FRAZIER, Examiner. 

